Keeping a journal! (long read but maybe it will help)

Ok guys I cant stress how important it is to keep a food log. This is something I have never done in the past, I have kept a workout log, but never a food log. This is the best way to track your daily intakes. NOw this isnt just for those cutting for comp or whatever, everyone can benefit from it. For example, I used to just estimate my calories but now since i write everything down in a notebook I know exactly how much of what I am taking in. This is especially benefitial when cutting for comp...for example I can almost pin point to w/in 30 mins of when my veins will start popping out after I eat a certain meal. Also if a certain food makes you smooth or harder it is documented and you can figure out how long it took to get like. Another example I ate shrimp and scallops last night (grilled of course) and I gained about 2 lbs today and was smooth like balloon. WEll if I hadnt kept my journal I pry would have no way of knowing what did it to me, but since the only change in my diet was that I knew exactly it was the high sodium content of those 2 seafoods. Also I found out if I eat chicken and pb after hard cardio I become very vascular w/in an hour of eating. Now onto the bulking aspect of using a journal. I bet 9 out of 10 you who say you are taking in 5000 cals and 400 g of protein while bulking are not even get near that number...I used to be guilty of that but since the 30 lbs of wt I put on since my last competition I was able to bulk more efficiently. I was able to pinpoint how many calories it takes for me to gain x amount a week and not gain too much fat. I hope this post persuades some if not most of you to keep journal I promise it is one of the best things you can do! Oh yeah almost forgot by keeping a journal, you have to keep track of what you are eating and hwat your next meal will be and this even makes cooking for a week easy! Hope this helps someone!
MId

bump for you hoes atleast say thanks for posting or sumping lol!

Thanks

Thanks bro, reading it did make me think of doing that. I'm not that organized in my day to day life right now.

Now get busy moving your furniture! :laugh:

Now onto the bulking aspect of using a journal. I bet 9 out of 10 you who say you are taking in 5000 cals and 400 g of protein while bulking are not even get near that number...I used to be guilty of that but since the 30 lbs of wt I put on since my last competition I was able to bulk more efficiently.

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I couldn't agree more with this statement!

Great post midwtchamp!

Absolutely brilliant. lol.

I've been telling all of the people on the other boards that say they can't gain weight to keep a food log. Then I tell them more likely than not (almost 100%) that they are not eating the calories (carbs, protein, and fat) that they say they are.

With that being said I should make a log myself even though I'm not having too much trouble gaining weight right now. In the future especially it will become very benificial plus it will maxamize the gains I'm making right now. Nothing better than going from good to great with a simple task.

I started taking a food log but then stopped. I eat the same foods 6 meals a day exactly. The only one that changes is supper and we eat what the lady wants-with in reason.

i keep a protein log, does that count.

very important, your right most people really overestimate how many calories an protein they actually take in.

another thing I figured out the other day...I added in apples in my diet and they gave me really bad gas lol so I know what did it since I keep track of all that I eat etc....

shit everything I eat gives me bad gas, but have fun with it, lock your girl in the dutch oven.